2008 Woodie Awards
Opinion: Who will end the four-year genocide in Darfur?
IUPUI's connection to global conflict
Courtney Essett
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: Commentary
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Pressure is mounting and the public has wondered aloud, "What is he going to do?" Will the rape, torture and slaughter continue? Who will make it end? He is President George W. Bush and it is the genocide that has been waging in Darfur for the past four years.
Not since the conflicts in Rwanda and Somalia has the world and the United States been so watchful of an African country.
Indiana and IUPUI have been part of the movement to reach out to refugees and raise public consciousness about Sudan's beseeched western region of Darfur. During an Oct. 14 rally, nearly 300 gathered at IUPUI's Pyramid Fountain Plaza to add their voices to the movement "Save Darfur." Still, the looting, burning of villages, murder and forced exile of thousands continues as the world watches.
Since 2003, the Darfur has been the scene of bone- chilling violence and utter destruction. According to SaveDarfur.org, the conflict began after decades of neglect, drought and oppression when two rebel groups-The Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) - mounted a threat to Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.
In a brutal response to defeat the rebels, al-Bashir increased arms and support to local tribes and militia known as the Janjaweed, which loosely translates to "devil on horseback." The Janjaweed, composed mostly of nomadic Arab tribes, have wiped out entire villages and decimated food and water supplies.
Consider this timeline compiled by BBC News:
February 2003: Rebels in the western region of Darfur revolt against government, citing neglect. This is what most would call the first gunshot.
January 2004: Army moves to quell uprising in western region of Darfur; hundreds of thousands of refugees flee to neighboring Chad.
March 2004: United Nations announces pro-government Janjaweed militias are systematically killing African villagers in Darfur
September 2004: UN says Sudan has not met targets for disarming pro-government Darfur militias and must accept outside help to protect civilians. United States Secretary of State Colin Powell describes Darfur killings as genocide.
January 2005: UN report accuses the government and militias of systematic abuses in Darfur, but stops short of calling the violence genocide.
May 2006: Khartoum government and the main rebel faction in Darfur, the Sudan Liberation Movement, sign a peace accord. Two smaller rebel groups reject the deal. Fighting continues.
August 2006: Sudan rejects a UN resolution calling for a peacekeeping force in Darfur, saying it would compromise sovereignty.
November 2006: Hundreds are thought to have died in the heaviest fighting between northern Sudanese forces and their former southern rebel foes since they signed a peace deal last year.
April 2007: Sudanese government says it will accept a partial UN troop deployment to reinforce African Union peacekeepers in Darfur but not a full 20,000-strong force.
September 2007: UN talks on the composition of a Darfur peacekeeping force end without agreement.
Contact Courtney Essett at cessett@indiana.edu.
Click here to go to forum
Not since the conflicts in Rwanda and Somalia has the world and the United States been so watchful of an African country.
Indiana and IUPUI have been part of the movement to reach out to refugees and raise public consciousness about Sudan's beseeched western region of Darfur. During an Oct. 14 rally, nearly 300 gathered at IUPUI's Pyramid Fountain Plaza to add their voices to the movement "Save Darfur." Still, the looting, burning of villages, murder and forced exile of thousands continues as the world watches.
Since 2003, the Darfur has been the scene of bone- chilling violence and utter destruction. According to SaveDarfur.org, the conflict began after decades of neglect, drought and oppression when two rebel groups-The Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) - mounted a threat to Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.
In a brutal response to defeat the rebels, al-Bashir increased arms and support to local tribes and militia known as the Janjaweed, which loosely translates to "devil on horseback." The Janjaweed, composed mostly of nomadic Arab tribes, have wiped out entire villages and decimated food and water supplies.
Consider this timeline compiled by BBC News:
Contact Courtney Essett at cessett@indiana.edu.
Click here to go to forum
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